The Antioch Chalice
Brief Identification The Antioch Chalice, discovered in 1910, is thought to have been produced as a liturgical artifact roughly between the 5th and 6th centuries under the Byzantine Empire. Originally said to have been found in Antioch, scholars have argued its location of discovery to be anywhere from Antioch to Aleppo without any finalized consensus because of a lack of record Arnason 1941, 61-62. At first, without any real substantial evidence, historians claimed that the chalice was in fact the Holy Chalice used by Christ and his followers at the Last Supper 2013, 109. However, more recent scholarly work has argued that it is simply a Christian artifact, and some argue that the "chalice" may actually be a 6th century standing lamp. It is currently displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Gallery 300 in New York, New York. Technical Evaluation This artifact stands about 8 inches tall, 7 inches wide, and 6 inches long. It is made up of three different parts: one very basic silver drinking cup, an outer shell made of ornately designed gilded silver, and a solid silver base Anason 1941, 51. There is no evidence to support that the parts of the chalice were created separately, but it has been suggested repeatedly that the outer shell could have formerly encased a glass vessel, only to be replaced with the silver cup after sustaining damage Arnason 1941, 60. Concerning the techniques used to make the chalice, the inner bowl, which is of inferior workmanship in comparison to the other parts of the chalice, was most likely hammered out of a thick sheet of metal which was then folded over itself in order to produce the lip of the cup. The gilded designs of the outer cup were most likely applied to the chalice through a technique known as "chased-applied," meaning that the ornate artwork was sculpted beforehand and then soldered onto the basic silver cup. The outer shell and the base also show the remnants of gold leaf that were used to decorate the exterior of the chalice Eisen 1916, 427-429. The designs of the outer shell are all religious in style, relating to Jesus Christ and his followers. The design has a naturalized style and depicts two figures of Christ each surrounded by five seated apostles. Beyond the human figures, the chalice is decorated with countless rosettes, grape vines, doves, insects, a rabbit, a lamb, and an eagle perched atop a bread basket Eisen 1916, 429. There are several varying accounts of how the Antioch Chalice was discovered, but it is generally accepted that it was excavated near the area of Antioch in 1910 by common Arabs and then bought by the Kouchakji family around 1913. The chalice was then acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art from the Kouchakji family in 1950. Local Historical Context The general consensus of scholars is that the Antioch chalice was made during the early sixth century under the Byzantine Empire. This would have been the same time period as the rule of Justinian I. Under his reign, the Byzantine Empire experienced massive territorial expansion, thorough military reform, and a giant surge in the production of Christian iconography. Through Justinian's many successful military campaigns he reclaimed much of the fallen Western Roman Empire, and at the same time brought the culture of the Byzantine Empire into contact with the Christian ideals of Rome and the rest of the Mediterranean. This contact led to a resurgence in the creation of Christian icons throughout the empire, and it also led Justinian to take on public works projects such as the restoration of Constantinople and the reconstruction of the Hagia Sophia. The Antioch Chalice, being constructed during this period, would have most likely been made by or for the clergy as a liturgical icon meant to represent Christian themes. The chalice, if actually a chalice, would have been used by churchgoers and clergy members as both a tool of worship and an instrument by which they would consume wine during the Eucharist 1925, 124. If the chalice was actually a standing lamp, it would have been used to represent that Christ was "the light of the world (John 8:12)," as seen on the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History website. It is difficult to say with certainty what the true role of the chalice was due to a lack of information from both before and after the discovery of the object. All that can be said for sure is that the Antioch Chalice would have served to represent Christian themes and ideals and also serve as an icon for worshipers of the Holy Trinity during the time of the Byzantine Empire. World-Historical Significance The Antioch Chalice grew to prominence in the world of art history quickly after its discovery at the turn of the twentieth century in large part due to its misidentification as the Holy Chalice from the Last Supper. This false claim led to many scholars publishing works defending, analyzing, and questioning the chalice's authenticity during the first half of the 1900's. Arnason 1941, 55-56, 60-61 In the end, it was found that there was very little evidence to support this original claim, and most experts now believe the chalice to have been produced later on in the sixth century as just another Christian icon. Without its claim to be a holy Christian relic, the importance of the Antioch Chalice falls somewhat, but is still by all means a very important artifact. The chalice is one of the earliest silver-gilt Christian works recorded by historians, and its unique and skillful design show how Christian ideals were beginning to spread out of the West and into the rest of Europe during this era Arnason 1942, 16. Furthermore, the design of the chalice along with its impressive metalworking techniques serve to show the shift from Hellenistic style to the more naturalized style found during the Late Antique period Eisen 1916, 429. In respect to world history, the Antioch Chalice may not be as important as if it were the Holy Chalice, but, nonetheless, the Christian representations, stylized decorations, and superior craftsmanship of the object demonstrate ideas flowed and cultures spread around Europe during the fifth to sixth centuries. Bibliography Arnason, H. Harvard. "The History of the Chalice of Antioch." The Biblical Archaeologist 4, no. 4 (1941): 49-64. doi:10.2307/3209152. Arnason, H. Harvard. "The History of the Chalice of Antioch." The Biblical Archaeologist 5, no. 1 (1942): 10-16. doi:10.2307/3209205. Eisen, Gustavus A. "Preliminary Report on the Great Chalice of Antioch Containing the Earliest Portraits of Christ and the Apostles." American Journal of Archaeology 20, no. 4 (1916): 426-37. doi:10.2307/497318. McDaniel, Walton Brooks. "The Great Chalice of Antioch." The Classical Weekly 18, no. 16 (1925): 123-27. doi:10.2307/4388659. Murray, Peter and Murray, Linda. The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Architecture. Edited by Tom Jones. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Bible Info, "The 12 Disciples," http://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/who-were-twelve-disciples Britannica Online, "Antioch," https://www.britannica.com/place/Antioch-modern-and-ancient-city-south-central-Turkey Britannica Online, "Iconography," https://www.britannica.com/art/iconography Britannica Online, "Metalwork," https://www.britannica.com/topic/metalwork Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Antioch 'Chalice'," http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/50.4/ Metropolitan Museum of Art, "The Byzantine Empire under Justinian I," http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/just/hd_just.htm New World Encyclopedia, "Holy Chalice," http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Holy_Chalice UNESCO, "Ancient City of Aleppo," http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/21